A life of two souls traveling through time

It was just dawn, and Lianjia Village, which should have been filled with curling smoke and the sound of children's voices, was now in a mess, with chaos and confusion. Several bandits were going from house to house with machetes, looting food.

In the farmyard at the entrance of the village, all the elderly, women and children in the village were kept under control, and there was constant crying in the yard.

A tall and strong bandit leader with a flying beard carried a big knife on his shoulder and glared at several young girls with his two copper-bell-like eyes.

"Second in command, the first in command reminded us again and again before we go out into the mountains that we are only allowed to steal food and not hurt anyone this time. The army of the prince is camping outside the wooden city, so we'd better be careful." At this time, an older and calmer bandit walked up to the bandit leader and reminded him in a low voice.

"I don't mean to hurt anyone. I just feel sorry for these helpless women. Instead of letting them suffer from cold and hunger here, why don't we..." The bandit leader didn't take it seriously. He grinned at the women in front of him who were already trembling with fear.

"Who said we are helpless? Our father and husband went up the mountain to hunt, and you are the despicable ones who took advantage of them!" Narcissus could not help but reply angrily before the bandit leader could finish his words.

"Wow, this girl has a great tongue, I like it!" Unexpectedly, this aroused the interest of the bandit leader.

Amid the cheers of the other bandits in the courtyard, the bandit leader tried to grab Narcissus. The village head's wife quickly hugged her daughter tightly in her arms and screamed:

"Get lost, you bastards, don't even think about touching my daughter!"

"Mom..." Narcissus, who was in her mother's arms, turned pale with fright.

"It's okay, mom is here." The village head's wife hugged her daughter tightly and glared at the bandit leader who was nearly twice as tall and strong as them with a fearless look on her face.

"Second in command, it's almost time, let's not cause any trouble and retreat quickly..."

"Shut up! Stop bullying me. I didn't become a bandit in the mountains to live a miserable life. I just want to do whatever I want. Don't mention that he is just a prince. Even if the emperor from Shangjing came, I would take this girl back today!"

The bandit leader was already furious, and the words of advice only added fuel to the fire. He suddenly swung the big knife in his hand with one arm and chopped towards the village head's wife.

"Auntie Mute!"

Amid the exclamations and screams of the crowd, Aunt Ya collapsed to the ground, with blood still gushing out of her neck, dyeing large areas of the white snow red.

It turned out that at the critical moment, Aunt Ya pushed Narcissus and her daughter away and moved forward to take the knife.

"Damn it, are you still willing to go to see the King of Hell?" The bandit leader cursed with a sneer when he realized that he had killed the wrong person.

The other bandits around knew that the second in command had gone mad with killing sprees, and they all looked at each other and no one dared to step forward to persuade him.

"Aunt Ya... Aunt Ya..." There were already bursts of crying in the yard. Narcissus and her daughter were even more grief-stricken. They lay on Aunt Ya's gradually cooling body and wailed in pain.

"Shut up, everyone!" The noisy crying further angered the bandit leader, and the blood-stained sword was raised again.

With a "whoosh" sound, a golden-headed feathered arrow flew in from outside the yard and accurately pierced the bandit leader's forehead. Then there was another loud "bang", and the bandit leader fell to the ground like a mountain.

Seeing the second in command being killed, the bandits were so frightened that they scattered like birds and beasts, running around in all directions. But at this time, Lianjia Village had already been surrounded by the Zongwang army.

"Leave two alive and take them back." Outside the village, war horses were lined up, led by a handsome man with a long bow, a sable cloak, and a golden crown on his hair. He looked majestic and awe-inspiring.

He was the clan leader that the bandits feared, and the arrow that shot the bandit leader in the forehead was shot by this clan leader.

"Yes, Your Highness." Just as the prince finished speaking, a general in armor on his left rode his horse around to the back of the village.

"Sir, the task of dealing with the aftermath of the villagers is now left to you." Prince Zong then glanced at Mr. Fan on his right.

"Your Highness, please rest assured."

"Your Highness, I also want to assist Master Fan?" The young man Arnold next to Mr. Fan also turned his head impatiently to ask the prince for instructions.

"Don't run around and listen to Master Fan." Prince Zong nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

When the hunting team hurried back to the village, everything had been settled. All the invading bandits were wiped out except for two necessary survivors. Mr. Fan also had people count the losses in the village and comfort the villagers.

"Aunt!" As soon as they returned to the village, they learned that Aunt Ya had met with misfortune. Lian Qi and Si Yao were the first to rush into the yard.

"Brother Lian Qi..." Narcissus, who was immersed in grief and fear, saw Lian Qi and her already swollen eyes burst into tears again.

Seeing Aunt Ya lying quietly on the thick wooden board from afar, Lian Qi felt dazed. He was chatting and laughing with Aunt Ya at the dinner table in the morning. She was busy preparing dry food for them to go into the mountains. How could she be gone in less than half a day?

"Aunt...Aunt, don't scare me...I'm Lian Qi, I'm Lian Qi, can you please open your eyes? This is not true...this is not true, Aunt...You're such a good person, God shouldn't treat you like this..." When Lian Qi saw Aunt Ya's lifeless face and her half-broken, bloody neck, he could no longer control himself. He bent his knees, knelt down in front of the wooden board and cried sadly.

The villagers who were watching were moved by Lian Qi's grief-stricken cries and began to wipe away their tears.

Si Yao behind Lian Qi was also deeply saddened by what happened to Aunt Ya, but since things had come to this point she could only silently say to Aunt Ya: Aunt Ya, rest in peace.

"Aunt Ya is your savior after all. If she hadn't carried you home from the snow, you would have frozen to death outside. Now Aunt Ya has died tragically, but you haven't even shed a tear. Is your heart made of stone?" The village head's wife was furious when she saw Si Yao was as calm as usual without saying a word. Her previous suspicion and dissatisfaction with her also burst out at this moment.

"Are tears the only thing that can represent sadness?" Si Yao looked at the village head's wife in confusion.

She is not emotionally numb nor is she deliberately suppressing her emotions. From childhood to adulthood, she has seen other people's tears, and she has also seen Jiang Siyao hiding in the quilt and crying, but she has never shed tears. Even after experiencing heartbreak with Jiang Siyao, she couldn't help but wonder if she was born unable to cry?

"People come into this world crying. It is normal for people to cry when they are sad. Aren't you a human being?"

"I'm not a human?" The village head's wife's words were like a thorn that pierced Si Yao's heart.

"The disaster that befell our Lianjia Village today must have been caused by this woman! Aunt Ya saved her and treated her like her own daughter, but in the end she ended up with such a tragic end. She must be a disaster!"

"Yes, in our Lianjia Village, men have been hunting and worshipping the Hunting God for generations, but she broke this eternal rule as soon as she came. Today's disaster must be because she offended the Hunting God!"

"She is a jinx. Lianjia Village can no longer keep her. Let her go!"

"Our Lianjia Village shouldn't have taken in a woman with an unknown background who was causing trouble!"

"It would be too easy for her to just let her go. Maybe she is the one who brought the bandits here today!"

The village head's wife set a precedent, and other people in the village also began to attack Si Yao, and even attributed today's disaster to her.

"What nonsense are you talking about without any evidence? How could A Yao have recruited such brutal bandits? She has been following us hunting in the mountains today..." The crowd's accusations became more and more outrageous. Lian Qi couldn't believe that the people who were making such vicious remarks were actually his uncles, aunts, and uncles who always cared for him.

"Even if she didn't recruit the bandits, she is still an ominous woman and must not stay in Lianjia Village!"

"Lian Qi, why are you still bewitched by this woman? Are you doing this to Aunt Ya?"

"Yes, yes. I don't know what kind of magic potion this woman gave Lian Qi?"

“Stop talking!” As the momentum of the unreasonable attack grew louder, the village chief’s loud voice appeared outside the yard, and then Mr. Fan and his group followed the village chief in.

"Everyone, the court's judicial system relies on evidence to prevent people from being arbitrarily convicted. As the saying goes, one should be careful of what people say. You easily threw dirty water on this girl today, but do you know how difficult it will be for her to wash off the dirty water tomorrow? This group of bandits was originally vowed to be wiped out by the prince in order to maintain peace on the border, but the heavy snow blocked the mountain and gave them a chance to survive. It was not until they came down the mountain today that we learned of their whereabouts. The disaster in Lianjia Village this time was a man-made disaster and a disaster caused by bandits. It is really not right to blame an innocent person for this disaster without any evidence." As soon as Mr. Fan's heavy voice fell, the courtyard finally calmed down.

"Mr. Fan? Is it you?" Lian Qi looked at Mr. Fan and the young man Arnold who was nodding at him in surprise.

"Brother Lian Qi, we're sorry we're late." Mr. Fan stepped forward and patted Lian Qi on the shoulder, then looked down at the dead Aunt Mute and said guiltily.

Lian Qi lowered his head in silence, and two tears fell again.

"Mr. Fan, please don't say that. If the prince hadn't arrived in time, all the old and young women in our village would have suffered." The village chief looked at Aunt Mute sadly, then bowed to Mr. Fan with gratitude.

The villagers also gathered around Mr. Fan to express their gratitude. Si Yao knelt silently in front of Aunt Ya and bowed three times before turning to walk out of the yard. Lian Qi, who had been paying attention to her, saw her and hurriedly chased after her: "Where are you going, Yao?"

"Lian Qi, apologize to Aunt Ya for me when you send her off. I won't be seeing her off on her final journey."

"You...you want to leave?" He felt very guilty when he asked this question. Even if Mr. Fan beside Prince Zong spoke up to speak for Si Yao, Lianjia Village would definitely no longer be a place for her to stay.

"Well, thank you for teaching me archery..."

"Will we, will we meet again?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

Lian Qi looked at Si Yao's lonely and thin back in despair, and murmured, "Take care."

Although he has always known that Si Yao does not belong to Lianjia Village and that she has many secrets in her heart that he does not know, he feels a pain in his heart when he sees her leaving alone. He is worried that she will be in danger but also reluctant to let her go. He has a momentary impulse to abandon everything and follow her, but reality quickly makes him sober. As a Lianjia Villager, he cannot do this. He cannot forget the kindness of his grandfather, Aunt Ya and other people in the village who raised him since he was a child. Protecting Lianjia Village is his real responsibility.